Missouri State Women Defend Title At 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Championships

2024 MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Dates: Wednesday, February 21 – Saturday, February 24
• Location: Deaconess Aquatic Center, Evansville, IN
• Defending Champions (women): Missouri State
• Live Results
• Live Results also available via Meet Mobile: “2024 Missouri Valley Conference”
• Live Video
• Championship Central
• Teams: Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana State, Little Rock, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Valparaiso, UIC

The 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Championships are officially over, and the Missouri State women claimed their eighth straight title.

Senior Cabrini Johnson was a major points contributor over the final two days, securing gold in the 100 breast as well as silver in the 200 breast. She scared the 1:00-barrier in the 100 breast, touching in 1:00.37 at the wall. It was a VERY close race with Illinois State’s Madyson Morse, who touched just 0.01 back at 1:00.38. Morse took the race out significantly faster (28.33 to 28.86), but Johnson, who was 3rd in the event last year, found something extra over the final 10-yards to get her hands on the wall 1st.

Senior Lily DeSpain had a great final two days for Missouri State, winning the 400 IM and 200 butterfly. She hit the wall in 4:14.92 en route to defending her 400 IM title, clearing the field by over three seconds. She then clocked the only sub-2:00 minute performance in the 200 fly, finishing in 1:58.89.

She helped Missouri State to a 400 free relay victory to end the competition, anchoring them home in 49.41. It was a close race all around, with Southern Illinois (3:18.95) and Northern Iowa (3:19.16) finishing closely behind. Lana Janson (50.52), Jordan Wenner (49.12), and Anna Lucas (49.82) were the other contributors to the gold medal relay.

Southern Illinois had great showings over the final two days, with Celia Pulido, Susana Hernandez Barradas, and Olivia Herron all grabbing wins. Pulido shined in the 100 fly, 100 back, and 200 back events, bagging gold in all three. She hit the wall in 52.75 to clear the 100 fly field by over a second, then later won the 100 back to end the session (53.22). She was most dominant in the 200 back, where her time of 1:53.80 was the only performance under the 1:56-barrier.

Hernandez Barradas’ win came in the 200 free, where she hit the wall in 1:47.42 to outpace Missouri State sophomore Lana Janson (1:47.74). Herron stopped the clock in 2:12.17 to win the 200 breast by nearly a full second, just off her 2:12.08 entry time.

Illinois State had an individual event winner in the form of Emma Feltzer, who led the 100 free field in a time of 49.33. Missouri State’s Jordan Wenner (49.41) and Susana Hernandez Barradas (49.47) rounded out the top three.

Other Event Winners:

• Ciara McCliment of UIC scored 297.20 to win 3-meter diving.
• Missouri State won both the 400 medley and 400 freestyle relays. Kelly Sego (54.89), Cabrini Johnson (1:00.40), Sami Roemer (53.10), and Jordan Wenner (48.71) comprised the medley relay, while Lana Janson (50.52), Jordan Wenner (49.12), Anna Lucas (49.82), and Lily DeSpain (49.41) featured on the free relay.

Meet Awards

• Freshman Swimmer of the Year — Claire Parsons, Indiana State
• Swimmer of the Year — Celia Pulido, Southern Illinois
• Swimming Coach of the Year — Dave Collins, Missouri State
• Freshman Diver of the Year — Trista Thompson, Northern Iowa
• Diver of the Year — Ciara McCliment, UIC
• Diving Coach of the Year — Susan Bromberg, UIC
• Elite 17 — Faith Larsen, Northern Iowa

Final Team Scores

1. Missouri State — 1,463.5 points
2. Indiana State — 1,294.5 points
3. Southern Illinois — 1,126.5 points
4. Illinois State — 897.5 points
5. Northern Iowa — 835 points
6. Little Rock — 772 points
7. UIC — 753 points
8. Evansville — 312 points
9. Valparaiso — 206 points